Losing a Bet
by yellowpygmypuffs
Summary: Angelina shares some news with George and his response is... less than ideal. Heavy dosage of Romione. Rated T for language.


June 2003

Angelina was pacing so much that Hermione was certain she was going to burn a hole in the rug. She had news, life-changing news, to share with George.

"Angelina, seriously. Everything is going to be fine," Hermione said as she placed the dishes and silverware on the table.

"Hermione, I'm so nervous. I don't know if I can do this today. Let's just do it next week, maybe I'll be better by then," Angelina tried to reason, hoping that her dear friend would understand.

"You have to do this tonight. Besides, it's not like anything about your situation will change in the next week. You're going to have to face it eventually. And either way, you know I will be there. Wednesday dinners are a custom here. You might as well do it tonight and not have to worry about it anymore."

She was right. Angelina had been worrying so much over the last few days. She had two bits of news that will drastically change her and George's lives, so she might as well start preparing themselves as soon as possible. Angelina knew that Hermione was going to have her back no matter how George reacted. She and Hermione had gotten as close as sisters in the last twelve months.

Over the last year, Ron had quit the aurors after a mission that left him badly wounded, not inches from death. When Hermione got to him at St. Mungo's, she was a total wreck, beyond terrified that she was about to lose the love of her life. She begged him to hold on to whatever bits of life he had left. Ron was out for a few days, but once he finally came around, Hermione threw herself into his arms and cried over him. She recounted the horror of the previous days, letting him know how much she loved him and needed him. It was at that moment that Ron vowed his life to hers, proposing to her in his hospital bed.

After his recovery, Ron decided it was best to start working full-time at the joke shop. Hermione, thrilled that he was alive and well, overwhelmingly agreed to this proposition. George was simply delighted that Ickle Ronniekins was fully devoted to the shop now. As a permanent and full-time partner, George offered Ron and Hermione Fred's old flat above the joke shop, claiming that the Weasley had earned it as a partner of the prosperous company. Ron and Hermione graciously accepted after making sure that their presence in Fred's old space wasn't going to rustle any feathers. So over the last year, they had moved in across from George and Angelina, and began planning their wedding.

George insisted that every Wednesday night, they four adults would have dinner together, no shop-talk allowed. This was a great way for the brothers to relieve some entrepreneurial stress, as well as get closer. George felt like he didn't know his little brother as well since he only spent time with Fred growing up. Now, as adults, they needed each other. Hence, mandatory brothers/girlfriends dinner. The only exception was whenever Angelina had practice for the Harpies, but the others still got together. Since the birth of the tradition, Angelina and Hermione had gotten extremely close. They trusted each other as sisters and often went to each other when their prats of boyfriends would misbehave.

"As far as George knows, this is just a normal Wednesday night," Hermione said, giving the older girl a hug.

"Which is why I'm nervous. All of the changes might knock him off his axis."

"If he's out of line, leave it to me. I know a wicked hex or two."

The girls continued to get everything ready for the dinner. It was their turn to prep the food, which Angelina was grateful for because that gave them time to talk about the details of the evening. Since they rotate which duos cook each week, Angelina was thankful that she wasn't paired with Ron, because she couldn't talk about her issues with him as openly. And she's even more thankful that she wasn't paired with George, because that might have made her sick to her stomach. Hermione was the best case scenario.

"They should be home any minute. Oh, Hermione. What do I do?" Angelina asks, throwing her face in her hands.

"You do what you always do. Be cool, Ange. I'll help you with the spell when the time comes. Okay?" Hermione hugs her again, rubbing her back to calm her down.

"I'd be lost without you, witch," Angelina sighs, rolling her shoulders back as she breathes.

Angelina was making herself a cup of tea when she hears the two Weasley brothers stomping into her and George's flat. They sound like they were arguing about quidditch. Typical.

"Oy, you lot! Come sit down. Your housewives spent hours preparing your meal!" Angelina hollered to them from the kitchen.

George comes around the corner, giving her a smile that takes her breath away. She really did land a catch with him. She thanks her lucky stars everyday for him.

"Sweet Angel, how I've missed you," George says, coming towards her with his arms wide open as he lifts her up and spins her in the air. "Dinner smells wonderful, love." He kisses her.

"Well thank you, dearest. Go wash up, both of you. I cast the warming charm, not Hermione, so it might not hold up as well." Angelina swats his bum and shoos him out of the room.

Hermione gives her one last smile and a firm, "You've got this."

Angelina smiles and takes her seat as the two boys come back in.

They quidditch talk carried on as they sat down and dished their plates. Angelina had decided that getting in the conversation was best to keep her nerves at bay. Heck, even Hermione had a comment or two to make about the state of some of England's quidditch teams. Angelina, having been on Harpies for five years, felt like she was more knowledgable than the boys, and of course she was. However, dinner carried on for nearly fifteen minutes before she couldn't take it anymore. She had to share her news with George.

"George, darling," She said once there was a break in the conversation.

"Yes, your worship."

She blushed at him. Damn him and his suaveness. Damn it to hell. She composed herself.

"I actually have some news about some reassignments on the Harpies. Care to obtain some information from the Tree of Knowledge herself?" She questioned him, knowing this would entice him.

He leaned back, stretching his feet out infant of his and bending his arms behind his head. "Whatever fruit you have, I'll take a bite," He remarks smugly. Ron gagged at this, letting out a small "ewww" under his breath. Hermione chuckled as she sipped her tea.

"As you know, Gwenog likes to keep the very best and most committed people on her team. So far, Ginny has made herself a valuable asset to the team and Gwenog has made it very clear that she is on the team for as long as Ginny wants the spot. Ginny and I are both currently on the team as Chasers, and you guys have seen, we make a pretty great duo. However, I have decided to…" Angelina took a breath, and looked at Hermione who was smiling back at her.

It was now or never.

"George, what I mean to say is… I've decided to retire as Chaser for the Harpies."

There. It was out there and now he can respond however he'd like to. She looked over at George, who, she could tell, was chock-full of questions.

"Why, Angie?" He asked quietly. She loved the team. Anyone who knew her at all knew this bit of information.

"I've been offered a different spot on the team," She says, making sure he knows that she is still very much a member of the Harpies.

"That's brilliant!" George said excitedly. "Let me guess, Seeker? You've always been a great Seeker whenever we used to play at the Burrow." She could tell that he was just tickled to death at the prospect of her Seeking. She desperately didn't want to burst his bubble. She even looked over at Ron, who seemed just as happy as George did.

"No, not Seeker. Boys, I've decided to retire my broom."

"Your broom? How on Earth are you supposed to play quidditch without your broom?" Ron asked, almost scandalized.

Angelina laughed and took a sip of tea. "I know what you're thinking, and I know it sounds crazy. I'm no longer going to be an active and playing member of the team. But, I assure I'm still part of the team. You see, I'm going to be on the Harpies Medic Crew. I'm going to be working with and be trained by the team's head healer. The goal is for me to work as a physical therapist for the girls while I train under Healer Davis. And once Healer Davis retires in a few years, I'll take over as Head Healer," She told them.

She was proud of her accomplishments. Her mother had convinced her to pursue her healers marks while she was in the off seasons of quidditch so that she had something to fall back on if quidditch didn't pan out correctly. She had received O's in all of her medical exams and she was certified under St. Mungo's as a healer. Over the last few years, she hadn't gotten to make use of her qualifications, but she was beyond thrilled to shift gears, especially under the circumstances she was in.

"Angelina, that's wonderful!" Hermione says, tilting her glass for Angelina in a mini toast.

"Thanks!" She says cheerfully. "And I haven't even mentioned that best part about it. I get to work in the Harpies London Medical Office, so I will be local to Diagon Alley. I won't even have to aparate to work! It's only a few buildings over. I will, however, have to be on call for practices and games if they need me. I don't have to go to them anymore unless the medical staff there requires my assistance. Anything I should have to do will happen from the Diagon Alley office."

"That's splendid!" Ron comments, truly happy for his friend.

Angelina smiled at him and took a look at George. For the first time ever, she couldn't quite read him. "Georgie, honey?"

He looks up at her. "I think it's amazing, love. I just don't want you to give up your dream before you are ready to. That's my only concern."

Hermione took in a sharp breath.

He seemed so sincere. She prayed to whoever was listening that the next bit of information didn't upset him.

"Well, Georgie… I'm ready to make this switch. I've had my qualifications for a long time and I'm ready to prove myself as a healer. I've already proven myself as a quidditch player, and I'm ready for the next step. Besides," she quips casually, "I won't be able to ride a broom for much longer."

Hermione looks down to hide her smile. Ron and George just look lamely at each other.

"Pardon?" George asks after he can't put the pieces together.

Angelina stands up. "Hermione, do you mind helping me?"

Hermione stands and goes by Angelina. "Ready?" She asks quietly. Angelina gives her a nod and rolls her shoulders back.

Hermione waves her wand around Angelina's mid-section and says an incantation. A warm, glowing light radiates from her. The two girls are smiling at each other.

"Pregnant?" George asks once he realizes.

Angelina was nervous to tell him. She had found out a few days earlier in a moment of panic when she noticed her period hadn't dropped by in over two months. She rushed across the hall to Ron and Hermione's flat and begged the younger witch to perform the spell on her. After finding out that she was growing a human within her, she rushed to tell Gwenog. Luckily her captain wasn't too upset, knowing that George was a stand-up man. The Harpies, who had perviously mentioned having Angelina on the medic staff, gladly made her position switch. She waited until things were solidified with her new job to tell George anything.

All she did was bite her lip and nod her head, indicating that he was spot on.

"Damn it!" He huffs, putting his head in his hands.

The next few seconds were pure chaos.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY?!" Hermione yelled, aiming her wand at George. Ron, ever the trained auror, quickly threw a harmless disarming charm at his future-bride, knowing that she'd certainly hurt George if she wasn't stopped. "RONALD BILLIUS WEASLEY! If you even so much as THINK about doing that again, I will have your bollocks and your head on spikes! Are we clear?"

Ron was simply baffled. He, of all people, knows Hermione better than any person alive. She'd been right foul pissed with him before, but she never swore and she most certainly never threw hexes at people she loved. George fucked up royally, that much he knew.

"Love, you can't just hex him!" He tried to reason.

"I most certainly can! Did you not hear what he just said?!"

In that moment, George looked up. He looked confused, almost as if he missed everything that happened after Angelina nodded her head.

"What did I say?" He asked sheepishly. Merlin, did he really not understand the error of his ways?

Angelina, who was by far the strongest person out of everyone in the room, broke down in hysterics. She shrank down to the floor. She felt like her world was caving in around her. George wasn't happy about the baby.

"Angie, love? What's wrong?" He asks, going over to where she curled herself on the floor next to the table. He got down to her level, prying her head gently from where it was tucked between her knees.

"You're not happy," she sobbed.

"Angie, Sweet Angel, Angeline, my love, I'm over the moon. We're going to be parents!" He said softly, rocking her in his arms.

"Then why was your first reaction to say 'Damn it'?" She asked through sniffles. He looked up at Ron and Hermione to get confirmation on if this was real information.

"I said that out loud?" He asked, scandalized.

"Yeah, mate. Not your best moment," Ron told him.

"Angelina that was not in reaction to this beautiful news, I swear. I said that because, and this is going to sound silly, but I technically lost a bet. I owe Fred twenty galleons."

She instantly stopped the remnants of her tears. "I beg your pardon?"

George sighed. "Fred and I made bets about everything. One of ours bets was that Fred thought that I would be a father first. I, of course, thought this was bogus because of Fred's… well, flirtatious and perverted nature. I thought for sure that he would impregnate some bird long before I did. By default, I kind of lost. I owe him twenty galleons for this particular bet. In fact, that ghost is going to get lots of my money," George chuckled, jadedly, "He won a lot of bets by default when he died."

Something in Angelina knew that whatever George was saying was the exact truth. She knew he was happy, and she knew that he was upholding his bets with Fred even into death. She had witnessed him put money in a jar labeled "Fred's Rightful Winnings." Angelina pulled him tight.

"I love you," she told him.

"I've never had a love so strong," he whispered back.

"So you aren't upset?" She asked. She had to know for sure.

"Merlin, no! I'm thrilled. I'm so excited for this," he guaranteed.

"George. I'm pregnant," she sighs. "Like a full human person that we created is growing inside of me and should be here in seven months or so."

"What did you think would happen?" He shrugs. She looks at him, confused and almost offended.

"Excuse me?"

"What did you expect? You can't keep your hands off of me, you randy witch. I'd expect any two people that shag as much as we do would have at least seven children by now." He smirks. She loves to hate his smirk.

"You are NOT getting seven children from me."

"That's right. Eight children."

She rolls her eyes at him. "Whatever you say, love. I'm surprised you're so calm about this. We aren't married. We aren't even engaged!" She told him, exasperated.

"We aren't?" He asked. "Well, we should just fix that up."

Ron and Hermione shared a smile. Hermione had gone with George several months ago to help pick out Angelina's ring. With the flick of his wand, he summoned a small box.

"Angelina Johnson. I love you to the ends of the Earth. I love you more than life. I love you more than quidditch. You're a right-fit dame and you're my partner-in-crime. Now I want you to be my partner-in-life. Angie, marry me?" He opened the box to her.

She kissed him square on the lips. Moments from full snog, she pulled away and whispered a breathy 'yes.' George quickly slipped the ring on and pulled her back in to a heated snog on the floor.

Ron cleared his throat. "Well.." He started, "We will just show ourselves out." He tucked his arm around Hermione and they left wrapped in each other.

George and Angelina never came up for air as they heard the door close. They were far too blissed out on their growing human and future union.


End file.
